I had been struggling with one of my photos. I liked the composition but the day I took it was dull and overcast. Colors were muted and dingy. I took several approaches which were calculated to retain some sense of realism. But nothing worked. It continued to look uninspired and uninspiring.

Then I noticed some camera reviews by Ken Rockwell, who many of you have read. Many of his sample landscape images were surprising in their oversaturated, almost neon color effects. He is honest in his preference for strong vibrant colors. I thought to myself ... self ... nothing I have tried has worked so far. Why not give up on a realistic visage and try Ken's oversaturated and overstated approach to color application.

Here was my approach, using Luminar Neo:
1 ... I lightened exposure extensively,
2 ... triple saturated the existing colors,
3 ... added significant contrast,
4 ... added significant sharpening,
5 ... then added a strong "golden hour" coloration.
6 ... After that, I upscaled the image 2x with VanceAI Upscaler.

First, I appreciated how much I could lighten the exposure from my Olympus em10 file. Additionally, the dullness of the image started to come to life. I certainly left the world of realism. But as I continued to look at the results, I began to see the exaggerated colors in the same color pallet used by oil painters, strong, bold, and bright. The more I examined it, the more interesting the image became.

Most of you probably have tried this, and I am just a newby in the theater of wilder colorations. I have been dabbling in photography for decades, but I have never really found my own style. This was just another experiment for me, though probably old hat you many of you.

Attached are before and after pictures.

I appreciate any feedback you could give me ... even derisions. LOL